This article was written by Dick Pepper, a medical marketing specialist who blogs at VoxMD.com and can be reached at dick.pepper@voxmd.com.
I recently heard someone say "Facebook is dead." I thought this was quite a profound statement, but it was from a very smart client, and I run their social media strategy. Needless to say, I looked into where this idea may have come from. It turns out there are articles online claiming this. They're mostly quite old and biased to other online services, or written from the angst-riddled perspective of college kids who don't like the rise in Facebook usage by adults. According to Pew Internet (http://bit.ly/11TWk01), the most cited and trusted source of online usage, 69 percent of all online adults, representing more than half of the entire adult population of the United States, use a social networking site. No authoritative source says Facebook, or any other social media, is dying, but many point out a few key social media mistakes that can negatively affect your orthopedic and spine marketing:
1. Not participating in Social Media. Far too many practices and doctors are avoiding social media because of the perception of lack of guidance. There is no absolute guidance from any organization, government or other, and certainly no penalty for participation in social media. The best guidance I've seen is from Mayo Clinic (http://mayocl.in/13UzSac), who embraces social media whole-heartedly. Their message is simple and to the point: use the same ethics and judgement online as you do offline. Obviously you do not share patient information, or give specific medical advice via Twitter or any other social medium. But sharing general patient education, events, and news about you and your practice creates a sense of community. Failure to participate in social media also sends a negative message to a very important entity: search engines. More on that below.
2. Not posting quality posts often enough. Posting items of substance is the key to a good social media presence. I have seen former clients post pictures of donuts that the staff received from some medical company rep. Followed by a picture of the staff in a sugar coma, laying about the office. Granted, they were trying to be funny, but thats the type of humor that is perfect for an individual, not a medical practice. Post content that is valuable to your target audience, people who are patients or caregivers. Post events that bring value to their lives, or a friends life. Post items of quality. And post these often enough so that you appear in all of your follower's channels. And when we say "post", we don't mean post an article. Post a blurb that sends the message and links back to your main website.
3. Not being "hands on." Do not delegate the content decision tasks to someone's child or people who aren't involved with patients. You may end up with donut pictures. Instead, work with your marketing team or consultants to create a content calendar that features all of the messages you'd like to create. You should serve as the Editor-in-Chief, and give guidance rather than be the content producer. This oversight ensures quality content, and with your involvement, may encourage your fellow doctors to participate as well.
4. Not using ALL the Social Media Channels. A social media strategy isn't just Facebook or Twitter. Its a linking of your website and/or blog to those entities as well as Google+, LinkedIn and others. A core reason for you to participate in social media is to send Social Signals. These are measurable participation units, monitored by Google, that affect your search engine rankings (http://bit.ly/11dplEV). Its actually been around since 2009 and can affect your position in searches, still the most-used way to find doctors and practices. To provide this social proof without committing a ton of time, use publishing tools like HootSuite which allow you to create a post once and deploy to many social channels. Follow your content calendar and gang up the posts to make posting automatic and across all channels.
5. Not integrating it into your marketing strategies. Social media is still a minor point of your marketing, but hopefully you realize its importance. Tying social media, as well as your primary online strategies to your offline strategies is critical. There needs to be a symbiotic relationship between online and offline: start mentioning an event in your posts on social media, put details on your website (and link to it from social posts), put website address on print literature and ads for offline event, and do follow up "reporting" with photos and video on all online properties after the event. This end-to-end coverage of events ensures the broadest reach. And don't forget to use email! Send links to your social channels and website in a monthly newsletter format to your patients.
The running joke a few years back was about people posting what they had for lunch and considering that share-worthy. Today, many people over-share their views on their side of the political spectrum. But this is the exception for most people, not the norm. Typically a Facebook user shares with his or her community of friends and family those things they feel are important and want feedback on this subject. They also solicit guidance on everything from kittens to computers to doctors. A comment on this subject (I asked, they answered) from one of my Facebook friends said "I think a lot of people (I see this frequently) exchange info on doctors, dentists, specialists, etc. to get a feel for who is recommended locally. People also tend to share updates for known medical issues (like if someone has had a stroke, or been in an accident)." This sense of community and wisdom of crowds is what you want to tap into, but you can only be a part of the community if you participate in the social media conversation.
You rarely hear someone say "Facebook cures cancer." But a very recent post by another Facebook friend shows how valuable it can be in finding a medical professional. This post says "So, I really need to go see a doctor. I haven't been to one in like, almost ever, so does anyone have a recommendation of anyone to go see here? I think all that time in Florida sun may be catching up with me and need to get a spot checked out." Within minutes, he received replies from Indiana, Florida, Georgia and Tennessee, all giving names and encouragement to schedule an appointment. This type of immediate reach to friends, family, and acquaintances would not be possible without a social network.
Don't hesitate to add social networks to your marketing strategy. It is the extension of your content strategy, sends those valuable social signals, and helps you tap into the community. Talk to your marketing team and online marketing professionals about how to integrate social media strategies into your marketing mix safely and effectively.
More Articles on Spine Practices:
8 Ways for Spine Surgeons to Leave a Lasting Mark on the Field
30 Spine Surgeons With Interest in Sports Medicine
8 Spine Surgeons & Specialists on the Move
I recently heard someone say "Facebook is dead." I thought this was quite a profound statement, but it was from a very smart client, and I run their social media strategy. Needless to say, I looked into where this idea may have come from. It turns out there are articles online claiming this. They're mostly quite old and biased to other online services, or written from the angst-riddled perspective of college kids who don't like the rise in Facebook usage by adults. According to Pew Internet (http://bit.ly/11TWk01), the most cited and trusted source of online usage, 69 percent of all online adults, representing more than half of the entire adult population of the United States, use a social networking site. No authoritative source says Facebook, or any other social media, is dying, but many point out a few key social media mistakes that can negatively affect your orthopedic and spine marketing:
1. Not participating in Social Media. Far too many practices and doctors are avoiding social media because of the perception of lack of guidance. There is no absolute guidance from any organization, government or other, and certainly no penalty for participation in social media. The best guidance I've seen is from Mayo Clinic (http://mayocl.in/13UzSac), who embraces social media whole-heartedly. Their message is simple and to the point: use the same ethics and judgement online as you do offline. Obviously you do not share patient information, or give specific medical advice via Twitter or any other social medium. But sharing general patient education, events, and news about you and your practice creates a sense of community. Failure to participate in social media also sends a negative message to a very important entity: search engines. More on that below.
2. Not posting quality posts often enough. Posting items of substance is the key to a good social media presence. I have seen former clients post pictures of donuts that the staff received from some medical company rep. Followed by a picture of the staff in a sugar coma, laying about the office. Granted, they were trying to be funny, but thats the type of humor that is perfect for an individual, not a medical practice. Post content that is valuable to your target audience, people who are patients or caregivers. Post events that bring value to their lives, or a friends life. Post items of quality. And post these often enough so that you appear in all of your follower's channels. And when we say "post", we don't mean post an article. Post a blurb that sends the message and links back to your main website.
3. Not being "hands on." Do not delegate the content decision tasks to someone's child or people who aren't involved with patients. You may end up with donut pictures. Instead, work with your marketing team or consultants to create a content calendar that features all of the messages you'd like to create. You should serve as the Editor-in-Chief, and give guidance rather than be the content producer. This oversight ensures quality content, and with your involvement, may encourage your fellow doctors to participate as well.
4. Not using ALL the Social Media Channels. A social media strategy isn't just Facebook or Twitter. Its a linking of your website and/or blog to those entities as well as Google+, LinkedIn and others. A core reason for you to participate in social media is to send Social Signals. These are measurable participation units, monitored by Google, that affect your search engine rankings (http://bit.ly/11dplEV). Its actually been around since 2009 and can affect your position in searches, still the most-used way to find doctors and practices. To provide this social proof without committing a ton of time, use publishing tools like HootSuite which allow you to create a post once and deploy to many social channels. Follow your content calendar and gang up the posts to make posting automatic and across all channels.
5. Not integrating it into your marketing strategies. Social media is still a minor point of your marketing, but hopefully you realize its importance. Tying social media, as well as your primary online strategies to your offline strategies is critical. There needs to be a symbiotic relationship between online and offline: start mentioning an event in your posts on social media, put details on your website (and link to it from social posts), put website address on print literature and ads for offline event, and do follow up "reporting" with photos and video on all online properties after the event. This end-to-end coverage of events ensures the broadest reach. And don't forget to use email! Send links to your social channels and website in a monthly newsletter format to your patients.
The running joke a few years back was about people posting what they had for lunch and considering that share-worthy. Today, many people over-share their views on their side of the political spectrum. But this is the exception for most people, not the norm. Typically a Facebook user shares with his or her community of friends and family those things they feel are important and want feedback on this subject. They also solicit guidance on everything from kittens to computers to doctors. A comment on this subject (I asked, they answered) from one of my Facebook friends said "I think a lot of people (I see this frequently) exchange info on doctors, dentists, specialists, etc. to get a feel for who is recommended locally. People also tend to share updates for known medical issues (like if someone has had a stroke, or been in an accident)." This sense of community and wisdom of crowds is what you want to tap into, but you can only be a part of the community if you participate in the social media conversation.
You rarely hear someone say "Facebook cures cancer." But a very recent post by another Facebook friend shows how valuable it can be in finding a medical professional. This post says "So, I really need to go see a doctor. I haven't been to one in like, almost ever, so does anyone have a recommendation of anyone to go see here? I think all that time in Florida sun may be catching up with me and need to get a spot checked out." Within minutes, he received replies from Indiana, Florida, Georgia and Tennessee, all giving names and encouragement to schedule an appointment. This type of immediate reach to friends, family, and acquaintances would not be possible without a social network.
Don't hesitate to add social networks to your marketing strategy. It is the extension of your content strategy, sends those valuable social signals, and helps you tap into the community. Talk to your marketing team and online marketing professionals about how to integrate social media strategies into your marketing mix safely and effectively.
More Articles on Spine Practices:
8 Ways for Spine Surgeons to Leave a Lasting Mark on the Field
30 Spine Surgeons With Interest in Sports Medicine
8 Spine Surgeons & Specialists on the Move